June 13, 2023
Leaders from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have published a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlighting the urgent need to address current gaps in the research, development, and implementation of fentanyl test strips and other rapid drug-detecting tools that could help prevent overdose deaths.
The commentary highlights that rapid drug-detection tools have the potential to save lives, and to serve as an important part of harm reduction toolkits, yet, they often remain inaccessible because of gaps in research and various other barriers, including state or legal prohibitions.
Among the authors are Nora D. Volkow, Director of the NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and Robert M. Califf, Commissioner of the FDA.
The commentary encourages new collaborations among researchers and agencies to ensure the effectiveness of fentanyl test strips, and promote the development of additional drug-checking technologies. It also encourages a reduction of barriers that inhibit use of these technologies where not prohibited by law.
Click here to access the commentary itself, and click here to access a NIH news release on the subject.
